


Just keep breathing

by sweetheartshumjr



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Newt Scamander, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Newt Scamander, Protective Siblings, Protective Theseus Scamander, Sibling Bonding, Theseus Scamander is a Good Sibling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 15:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetheartshumjr/pseuds/sweetheartshumjr
Summary: Sometimes you just need to breathe





	Just keep breathing

Theseus Scamander was a quiet man. He usually kept his thoughts to himself; so many people saw him as emotionless and stone hearted. Only a few knew of the small things he did, the little things that showed that he cared. Especially his little brother.

When Newt was excited Theseus would smile kindly at him. Sometimes he'd pat him on the shoulder or on the really rare occasions he'd hug him and offer a bit of advice. But the latter usually only happened when something really bad was happening. 

Just like now.

Theseus stormed out of Hogwarts and people scattered quickly out of his path. Just a few minutes ago he heard that some third year kid was bullying his brother and that Newt had run away to hide.

The anger he felt was boiling up inside of him. Theseus pushed it away though, his anger could come second, to him, in that present moment, finding Newt was more important.

Somehow he always knew where exactly his brother would be. This time he stepped into the Forbidden Forest, feeling it deep in his bones that Newt would be there. Where else could he possibly be?

And Newt, of course was there, huddled up, his hands covering his face and crying just so loudly that it broke Theseus' heart. 

The person who has hurt his brother is going to suffer.

Theseus closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down. Newt didn't need him to be angry. He needed a big brother.

Theseus made a step towards him, but winced when his foot crunched on a fallen twig. The noise wasn't really that loud, but the forest of course had to be quiet that day, so the sound startled Newt, causing him to jump and his head to whip towards the noise. Newt’s already shaken breathing hitched even further. 

Theseus immediately held his hands in front of himself, " It's just me, Newt " he said calmly.  
Newt stared at him for a little, before his eyes started watering again.  
Theseus sighed quietly and sat beside his brother, keeping a little distance between them, knowing that his brother needed it.

But that didn't help much.

Newt's breathing wasn't easing up, quite the contrary. It was getting worse, which worried him. 

Slowly, as not to scare him, he offered him a hand, while saying, " Hold my hand. We're going to do something that Madame Pomfrey thought me. " 

Newt immediately caught his hand with both of his. 

Theseus smiled weakly. " You need only one, Newtty " he said and when the boy corrected himself, muttering an apology, he squeezed his palm lightly. " No need to apologize. Now you have to try and take a deep breath while tensing all of your muscles. " 

Theseus took an extraverted breath, to show Newt what he means. 

His younger brother was struggling with it, clearly still thinking about this other person's words, but after some time he finally managed to take a first really deep breath, for which Theseus awarded him with a smile. 

"Now we are going to count to six, while holding our breaths. Come on, Newtty, you can do it " he instructed, while squeezing the boys palm. He slowly counted to six. " And now exhale " he said, again really making sure to exhale loudly, so it'd be easier for Newt to follow. And he did. " Excellent. Now let's try it once again. "

They were both breathing for two solid minutes until Theseus felt that his brother relaxed. So he cautiously threw an arm around him and when he saw that Newt was okay with that ha asked,  
" Okay, so who has done this? "

****

After a while this breathing exercise became something that both of them did to try to calm the other one. While it was usually Newt who was using it most of the time, Theseus needed help once in a while too.  
After war nothing was the same. He still had flashbacks.

He'd startle at every flicker of the light, at every small crackle of sound, especially at the thunder, that was always the worst. He had images in his mind playing on repeat like a broken record. People may call him a war hero, but they didn't know what was happening inside his head.  
It's not like he'd let them to know. 

He's a man after all.

He shouldn't show his emotions. And they didn't need to know. They didn't need to know that he sometimes wakes up screaming. They didn't need to know that he checks up on his family in the night, watching them sleep, the gentle rise and fall of their chests.

They didn't need to know what was going on inside his head.

But he couldn't fool Newt. 

So sometimes, when he's awoken by a scream he immediately goes to his brother's room. Without a word he's offering his hand. And they breathe until everything comes back to normal again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic posted on ao3 and I would really like to know what do you think of it! (also find me on Tumblr @sweetheartshumjr)


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